Second Life
by Tatiana-P
Summary: A classic and cliché story about a girl falling into Middle Earth, but what happens when she ends up in Rhûn with no handsome and chivalrous heroes to find her and take care of her?
1. Chapter 1

Hello everyone, this is my first fan fiction ever, so please be nice to me. I got this idea a few days ago and decided to give it a go and see what people think, so please let me know. Bear in mind that this is only an introduction to the story and it will get better (hopefully). Also, English is not my first language, so feel free to point out any mistakes you may find and I will try to fix them.

 **Introduction**

The 3rd of March sucked. Majorly. And not in the normal way, like when you're late for work or spill coffee all over your white shirt. This was on the top of my 'this-sucks-a-lot' list, and that's saying something because I'm the unluckiest person I-and everyone I know-know. But let's start from the beginning.

Hi, I'm Maya. I live in Manchester and I'm addicted to tea. Now that the introductions are over, let me tell you about the worst day of my life. It started perfectly normally, with me hating my life as I groggily stumbled out of my bed at 6:30 in the morning. After going through my morning routine while still half asleep, I went to my tiny kitchen to make myself a cup of tea. By 7 am, I was reasonably awake and leaving my flat in trainers with a banana in hand. I spent the next 45 minutes in a nearby park, jogging and cursing myself nearly every minute. _Why am I doing this, again?_ When the image of zombies chasing after me has stopped being good enough motivation for continuing this dreadful activity, I gave up and went home.

The rest of the morning went surprisingly well and without any unpleasant accidents. I had a big breakfast, took a shower and mentally prepared myself for a university lecture. I got my backpack, petted my cat Muffin and began to walk to a bus stop without looking back. If I had known that was the last time I was going to see him, I guess I would have given him a treat as well.

Since I had only one lecture that day, I figured I might as well spend the time productively and go to a library for a study session. I popped into a shop to get some lunch and stock up on energy drinks and bars and then I was all ready to go torture my brain for a couple of hours. The library has been as magnificent as always, with its high ceilings, white pillars and quiet atmosphere. I sat at a table, put my earphones in and allowed myself to get lost in books.

I left the library at 5 in the afternoon and realised my mistake as soon as I exited the building. The sounds of traffic hit me like an ugly, smelly wave and I resignedly made my way to a bus stop, already dreading the extra time I would have to spend on the bus. I was half-way to the bus stop when it started raining. I pulled the hood of my jacket up without even slowing down and watched with amusement as a group of Chinese tourists exclaimed in surprise and dived into their bags for umbrellas. _Oh yes, good old English weather._

It took me almost an hour to get to my bus stop, but I didn't really mind because I spent most of the ride snoozing and listening to music. It was slowly getting dark and it hadn't stopped raining yet. My jacket was still wet and I was shuddering in the cold wind as I was walking towards the building where my flat was. I was crossing the road when I saw something on it, right in the middle. I looked up and down the road and saw no cars coming, so I decided to investigate. I couldn't quite tell what it was-the road wasn't lit and the rain somehow transformed into a slight fog. It was the size of a shoe and looked furry. I carefully poked it with my foot and almost jumped back when it turned around and I realised I was looking at a dead rat.

''Bloody hell,'' I breathed and tried to calm my slightly accelerated heartbeat.

I was just about to kick the rat to the side of the road when I saw a flash of light out of the corner of my eye. I whirled around and my heart stopped when I saw a car speeding towards me. It was going too fast. I knew there wasn't enough time for me to move out of its way. I knew it wouldn't be able to stop in time. In the next few milliseconds, several thoughts flashed through my mind.

 _Not again_ was the first quickly followed by _I'm going to die because of a bloody rat._

Lastly, there was: _Father is gonna be so pissed,_ and I found some kind of sick pleasure in the thought that the last thing I did would make him mad. I could hear the car's tires screeching even through my music, _Here comes the sun,_ and when it hit me, there was a small smile on my lips.

Then there was nothing.

Thank you for reading! :)


	2. Chapter 2

Hello everyone! I realised that I forgot to write a disclaimer in the first chapter so here it is. I obviously don't own Lord of the Rings, I wouldn't be here if I did, so please don't sue me. Now for this chapter, I know it's boring, it is only the beginning. But it will be better in the future, I promise! Enjoy the chapter and please let me know what you think :)

I woke up feeling very confused and disorientated. I was on my stomach, with the side of my face pressed into something that felt and smelled like grass. I started to groan, but then realised that nothing hurt me and stopped myself. I sat up and stared dumbly at my shoes, waiting for memories to come to me. Pictures of a dead rat and a car flashed through my mind and I suddenly remembered. The first thing I could think of was: 'I got hit by a car and nothing hurts? That's pretty impressive.' It was much better than the last time. No hospital smell and annoying beeping. Then I mentally smacked myself for not focusing on the main problem. Where the hell was I? I looked around, but all I saw was yellowish grass and a cluster of trees in the distance.

''What the...'' I started when a thought hit me.

 _Am I dead?_ This was the only logical conclusion I could come up with and once it came to my mind, I half expected a white figure with a halo to pop up and shout 'Welcome to heaven' at me. I didn't know where I came up with that ridiculous idea and briefly wondered if I had a concussion or just simply went mad. I rejected that notion almost as soon as it came, because I felt fine, and I wouldn't have felt fine if I were crazy, right?

 _Okay, focus._ I stood up and noticed I was still wearing the same clothes, which consisted of black jeans, grey sweater, dark blue parka and black ankle boots. I also saw my backpack on the ground just a few feet away from me and immediately went to pick it up. I thanked whoever was in charge here for letting me keep it and opened it to check if anything was missing. When it looked like everything was intact, I swung it on my shoulders and then froze. What now? I didn't know what to do. I didn't know where I was. It definitely didn't look like Manchester, or even England for that matter. There was still the possibility of being dead, but I thought that heaven or whatever came after death would have been more organised. They wouldn't just let someone stand in the middle of nowhere. There would be some sort of induction where you were told what to do, and a bunch of smiling people ready to answer all your questions. There would be snacks too.

But what if I was still alive? What if this was just some kind of sick joke played by my friends? I mentally shuffled through their faces and wondered who would be stupid enough to pull this prank on me, but I came up with no one. This was not their style. It would be too complicated to pull off and most of them were lazy butts, so that was out of a question. I quickly rejected the idea of being in some stupid reality show, because there was nowhere to hide and unless they had invisible equipment, I didn't see how it would be possible. Then I remembered that I was hit by a car and yet somehow standing and breathing and functioning as if nothing happened, so what did I know?

All the thinking was giving me a headache. I didn't know whether to sit down and wait and see what would happen or try to go look for help. _But who would help me here?_ Fellow dead people? Angels? If this really was the afterlife, I wasn't impressed. No hospitality, whatsoever. I sighed and looked around again. I could see rolling hills in the distance, and I figured it was my best chance since it would give me a good vantage point. I checked my phone for time, but it was dead. It looked like it was maybe 11 or 12 am, which was weird, because I was pretty sure it was dark in Manchester when I died. I paused. On the other hand, it wasn't that weird. I mentally shrugged and set off.

I had been walking for maybe two hours when I started to feel thirsty. _Hm, curious._ Apparently, heaven will not take care of one's physical needs with a snap of a finger. Heaven's finger? Angel's finger? I shook my head at myself, but then froze when I realised what it meant. _Will I have to...relieve myself right here? In the middle of nowhere? With no tree to crouch behind?_ I thought with something close to panic. I glanced towards the hills and started walking faster. There were some low bushes splattered across the ground, but they reached maybe up to my calves. They were definitely not big enough to provide any kind of protective barrier.

I took my backpack off and fished through it for a drink. My fingers curled around a bottle and I took it out with a triumphant ''Yes!''. It was Ribena. Amazing, delicious, sweet Ribena. I took a sip and sighed in pleasure. At the same time, I thought that I would have to be careful with it, since I haven't seen any signs of a water yet. I didn't know how long my provisions would have to last for. I mentally patted myself on the shoulder for being clever and getting energy bars and drinks before I died.

That made me think about my life, which was kind of depressing, but I couldn't help it. I thought about my father and wondered how he felt about my death. Because by now, I was pretty certain I was dead, there was no other logical explanation. _He is probably relieved_ , I thought bitterly. _Now he will have all the time in the world to spend with his sluts and no one to make him feel bad and guilty about it._ Oh well. There was nothing I could do, unless I could somehow return as a ghost and haunt him. I giggled at the mental image of my father's shocked face as my ghost form laughed evilly in front of him. I sobered up when I thought of my mum. Her beautiful face and warm smile flashed through my mind and I felt a hollow pit form in my stomach. I tried to stop the emotional onslaught by focusing on other things, like the sun warming up my skin, or the way the wind was playing with my tangled hair. It was quite beautiful here, really. When I forgot about the circumstances that brought me here, I could almost enjoy myself.

Another couple of hours passed and I was hungry and tired. However, I felt reluctant to eat anything, because I had only four energy bars and half of my sandwich. I felt kind of stupid, because the logical side of me was telling me that I was dead, and therefore quite safe from the horrible fate of dying of starvation, but better be safe than sorry, right? So when my stomach refused to stop rumbling, I hesitantly ate half of the sandwich and continued on my way.

My surroundings haven't changed, everything was still yellowish and green and brown, but the hills were thankfully closer than before. I estimated that if I kept my fast pace, I would get there before the sundown, which was good, because I didn't fancy sleeping here in the open-heaven or not-and the hills looked rocky so I hoped to find a cave I could sleep in. The thought wasn't very appealing, but I guessed that if there wasn't a comfy bed, cave was the next best thing.

As the day passed, I was getting more tired and also slightly nervous, because it was getting dark and the hills were still a good distance away. I really didn't want to run, but I saw no other option. The image of being all alone here in the dark made me uneasy. _If I'm really doing this, I will need energy,_ I thought and my stomach aggressively agreed and screamed encouragements. I ate the rest of the sandwich and half of energy bar without hesitation. I finished my Ribena and tried to convince my brain that I didn't _really_ need a toilet, that it could wait an hour or two. I glanced at the quickly darkening sky and resignedly started running. It wasn't good. My coat was terribly impractical, I was wearing the opposite of running shoes and my backpack was bouncing uncomfortably on my back. _It could be worse,_ I thought, _I could be wearing heels._

It was the primal fear of darkness and a need for shelter that kept me going for the next two hours. I collapsed on a rock at the foot of the hill and attempted to calm my breathing. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be but I was still exhausted. When I no longer felt as if I was about to spit out my lungs, I got to my feet and started making my way up the hill. It wasn't very steep, but my legs still burned like hell. I realised that it was mostly rock with few green bushes growing here and there. The hill reminded me of a side of a canyon, except the fact that the canyon was missing. It was dark now and I realised that I could easily break my leg or worse if I wasn't careful.

My path lead me to a narrow pass, with rocks towering over me on both sides. I was suddenly glad I didn't have claustrophobia, because I could barely squeeze through some places. My heart was beating slightly faster that normally and the darkness was getting to me. It was eerily quiet as I made my way through the pass. I wanted it to end already so I could be in an open space. My wish was granted and I could see a little better now that I was out of there. I was in a circular space about as big as a house, with rock walls surrounding me on all sides. They were quite steep and I looked for a darker spot that would hopefully signify a cave. I found one soon and judged the distance from the ground and the best possible route with an eye of an amateur climber. I used to do rock climbing often back when I was still alive- _one day ago,_ I realised with some shock-but this was different. I had no ropes or equipment or even the right shoes.

The cave entrance was about ten meters from the ground and the wall was relatively straight. _I can do this,_ I thought determinedly. I took my coat off and shivered in the cold evening air. That made to stop and think what I was going to do about the cold at night. It couldn't get much colder than this, right? I would be fine. My reassuring wasn't working, because my brain refused to stop thinking about the dangers of hypothermia. I sighed and kneeled to rummage through my backpack. I found an old lighter from my more rebellious days in one of the side pockets and sagged in relief when it worked. I had no clue how to make fire without it and didn't really want to try. Next, I knew I needed some wood. Well, damn. _Where the hell am I supposed to get wood?_ I desperately looked around and my eyes fell on the stupid bushes I've been seeing the whole day. _Hmm, I wonder..._ I strode towards the vegetation and gave one of the branches an experimental tug. When it moved a little I grew excited. _Maybe I will have a fire tonight!_ The thought of warmth and light was more than pleasant. I grabbed the bush with both hands and pulled with all my strength. I winced when the sharp wood dug into my hands, but kept going. After a minute or so, it finally gave out and I landed on my butt with hands full of bush. I grinned and carried it to my backpack.

I cursed silently when I saw that there wasn't enough space for it. I considered my options and decided to wrap it in my coat. For some reason, I was reluctant to get rid of my university books, even though I knew they were useless now and I would probably never need them again. I tied one sleeve to my backpack, shouldered it and immediately groaned under its weight. This was going to make my climb much more difficult. I walked to the wall of rock and searched for my first grips. It was completely dark now, but I knew that I would be 'inside' soon, so I wasn't overly concerned. One hand after the other, I slowly made my way up. My right hand slipped at one point and my heart stopped when I didn't feel rock under it but air. The short moment of panic passed and I continued to climb up. I didn't even feel the scratch on the palm of my hand due to the adrenaline pumping through my veins. Breathing hard, I reached the top and with one final burst of strength, I pulled myself onto the ledge of the cave.

I exhaled in relief and looked around my 'room' for the night. It was surprisingly big and spacious, which was a plus because it meant I wasn't going to choke on fire smoke. I seriously tried not to think about the fact that I was probably not the only occupant of the cave. I threw my backpack and coat on the floor and took the wood out. Then I spread the coat where I decided I would sleep and placed the bush in the corner of the cave, little next to the entrance. That way, it would have enough air, but there was a way out for the smoke as well. Pleased with myself, I kneeled down and took out the lighter. When I looked down though, I felt like something was missing. I smacked myself on the forehead and went to fetch some stones to put into a circle around the bush. I also tore a few papers out of my notebook and placed them in-between the wood. Finally feeling ready, I lit the papers and waited. I watched the branches catch on fire and laughed in relief. I did it! I made a fire.

The laughter froze on my lips when I caught sight of my hand. It was bleeding. My hand was bleeding. As a stared at it in complete shock and disbelief, I started feeling a stinging pain as well. _How the hell is this possible?_ This question kept replaying in my head as my knees gave out and I fell on the ground, still gazing at my palm. Dazed, I touched it with a finger. It came back red and wet. _Not possible. This is not possible._ My blood could only mean one thing: that I was alive. But how? I was hit by a car. I was supposed to be dead, or at least seriously injured. But apparently, I was neither.

I couldn't stand it anymore, I felt more puzzled and scared than ever before, but I was too tired to deal with it. It could wait until morning. I crawled onto my coat and stiffly laid down, staring fixedly at my hand. I don't know how long I laid there like that, but in the end exhaustion overtook me and I fell asleep.

Thank you for reading :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello everyone, so here is the third chapter. From now on, it will be something more than just Maya questioning everything-including her sanity-and wandering around, so I hope it will be a bit more enjoyable. I hope you won't find too many errors, but if you do, let me know and I will correct them. Enjoy :)**

 **Chapter 3**

I opened my eyes and groaned. That was without a doubt the worst night I've ever had. Why was my back so sore and my neck so stiff? This was even worse than spending the night on a bench in a park. When I looked around and all I saw was rock, I groaned again. So it wasn't a dream, then. I was really in a cave, location unknown. I felt like a mix between a cave woman and a really lame Bear Grylls. I tried to avoid thinking about my injured palm and what it meant and was stubbornly refusing to look at it, even as I felt the wound stretch when I moved. The hand felt gross and dirty because of all the dried blood so I sat up and tried to wipe it clean with the hem of my sweater. It didn't work very well. I also desperately wished for a spare shirt, since yesterday's running didn't leave me feeling exactly fresh and flowery. My mouth tasted like sleep, so I went to my backpack to fish out my toothbrush and toothpaste, silently thanking myself for my weird habit of always bringing them with me, no matter where I went.

As I sat on the edge of the cave's entrance with my feet hanging down and brushed my teeth, I was thinking what to do next. I had to consider the possibility of still being alive and on Earth. That made me more nervous than it should have. I didn't know where I was and I had almost non-existent survival skills. I was walking basically the whole day yesterday, and didn't see any signs of civilisation. That couldn't be good. If I hadn't found this cave yesterday, I probably would have been a half-eaten skeleton by now, partially digested pieces of me sitting in stomachs of wild beasts and who knows what else. I mentally shuddered. Ew. _Let's try not to think about stuff like that so early in the morning._

I spat out as much of the toothpaste as I could and took a sip of Ribena, which gave it a weird minty flavour, but I wasn't complaining. I was also immediately reminded of my bursting bladder and squirmed uncomfortably as I hurriedly put my coat on. I grabbed my backpack, took a few deep breaths as a mental preparation for my descent and started climbing down. Down-climbing was generally much more difficult because you often couldn't see your footholds and it took more skill to get down safely and without an accident. Therefore, I took my time and placed my hands and feet extremely carefully. By the time I was standing on the firm ground, my forehead was covered in a thin layer of sweat and I could feel the adrenaline making me restless. I spotted a big bush on my left and ran to it, almost crying in relief when I was done. Also, I never knew how grateful I would once be for a simple pack of pocket tissues. Feeling better than in the last 24 hours, I started towards the pass, humming a cheerful melody.

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As I was walking to the top of the hill, I wondered how Muffin was doing. I left him will bowls full of water and cat food, but how long would that last him for? Few days at most. I didn't know if I was dead or not, and had no idea whether someone found my body, or even if there _was_ a body. What if I had just disappeared from Manchester and appeared here, wherever 'here' was? Well, that was a disturbing thought. I hoped someone would get Muffin before he starved to death. I had no way of finding answers to my questions yet, but I hoped that at least my cat was okay.

I finally got to the top of the hills. I deeply breathed in the fresh air, so different from the polluted, fume-filled one I was used to. I looked around and sagged in disappointment. I was really hoping that I would see a city or a village, or at least a utility pole. Hell, anything that would suggest I wasn't stuck on an abandoned planet with only three energy bars in my backpack. Now, all I could see was a grassy plain stretching kilometres in front of me, strewn with bushes of all sizes. There was a gentle hill here and there, but all in all, it was a very disheartening sight for me. I was about to turn around and gaze in a different direction when my eyes caught a darker spot near the closest hill. Wait, was that a river? I squinted and tried to see more clearly, but it really looked like a river. It was long and wide and snaking through a valley between two hills. I almost started jumping in excitement, because if I remembered one thing from the survival TV shows I sometimes watched, it was that water pretty much always meant civilisation.

I caught a movement out of the corner of my eye. I looked at it and a gasp escaped my mouth. There was a bloody horse at the foot of the hill! A horse. A real, living horse from meat and bones. And it was just a few metres away from me. I was so confused. I didn't know what to think anymore. What the hell was going on? In that moment, as I was staring at the peacefully grazing animal, I decided to just try to survive and go with the flow until I figured everything out. The questioning and doubting was driving me mad. I was done. _I'm going to check this horse out and it can be a bloody Cleopatra in a Halloween costume for all I care._ I set my jaw and determinedly started to make my way down the slopes of the hill. As I got closer to the saddled horse, I could see that there was something big lying on the ground behind it. I froze in my tracks when I realised that it was a man.

I immediately grew cautious. I don't know why, because all of my instincts were screaming at me to run to him, because he could surely help me, but some part of me was telling me to be careful. I was alone and I could tell from my spot few metres away from him that he was tall and well-built. I had a general distrust in people and that's what prevented me from acting on my emotions then. Maybe he knew about me, and now he was just pretending to be dead or something so he could rape and kill me. I wasn't going to naively think that I could take him. I was around 170 cm tall and relatively fit, but men were just physically stronger, and the fact that it wasn't fair didn't stop it from being true.

I warily stepped towards his lying form, making my steps as light and soundless as possible. I glanced at the horse, but it showed no signs of hostility or desire to stop munching on the grass. _Feels good to finally see a friendly face,_ I thought. I walked around the front of the animal, gently patting its neck. I now stood directly above him. He was lying on his side so I couldn't see his face very well. He was wearing strange clothes, dark brown pants with a loose beige tunic and what looked like a brown leather vest with lacing in the front. He also wore soft leather boots that went almost up to his knees and armor on his wrists. There was a belt around his waist with a couple of pouches, and-was that a dagger? I was pretty sure it was. My heart started beating faster. He looked like a guy from Game of Thrones or something. I poked him with my foot, and was uncomfortably reminded of a similar situation with a rat. I frowned when he didn't move. He looked passed out, but why? I crouched next to his head and looked at his face. He had short, black and slightly curly hair and a strong jaw, his skin was neither pale or tanned, but it had a sickly sallow look to it. He looked to be in his late twenties and had a long stubble. When I was done staring at him, I wondered what was wrong with him.

''Hey,'' I said, poking him in a cheek. ''Wake up.''

He didn't even stir. Even an extremely heavy sleeper would have shown some signs of being alive by now. I wasn't exactly gentle with the jabbing. I looked more closely at him and almost immediately noticed that the grass under his left arm, the one he was lying on, was red. I turned him on his back with a bad feeling in my stomach. When I saw the state he was in, I could feel myself pale. His entire sleeve was torn and soaked in blood. I could see three deep gashes starting at his shoulder, ending by his elbow. He had a few scratches on the side of his face and a cut on his left eyebrow. He looked terrible. I felt guilty for poking him.

I could feel panic rising in me. He was still bleeding and there was no doctor around here as far as I could see. I didn't want a person to die right in front of me! There was a chance he was a murderer, but maybe he was a really nice bloke. He was possibly crazy, considering his weird clothes, but hey, who was I to judge? Also, I was asking no more questions until I saw a big flashing billboard saying where I was and how I got there, or something equally obvious and trustworthy. I didn't know how to deal with this. I had a first aid course, but that was mainly practicing CPR on dummies and learning how to stop people from choking. I had no idea how to treat severe injuries from an animal attack. That thought made me nervous. What if it was still around? I looked around from my crouched position, but saw nothing suspicious. Besides, the horse wouldn't be so calm if there was a predator nearby, right?

 _Pull yourself together, woman!_ I needed to calm down and think. I took a couple of deep breaths and felt the fear and panic slowly leaving me. I couldn't afford to sit here and do nothing. That guy's life could depend on me. I didn't know the severity of his injuries, but they looked pretty serious to me, so I wasn't going to risk it. Lunatic or not, I was going to do my best to help him. I decided that I had to get him somewhere safe first. I briefly considered the cave I slept in, but there was no way of getting him up there. There had to be another one in the hills, one that was not high up. But how the hell was I supposed to move him? My eyes fell on the horse. I determinedly stood up and strode towards the animal. I took the reins and lead it as close to the guy as I could. The horse was surprisingly cooperative. _Okay, so far so good._ But how does one force such a big beast to lay down? I looked it in the eye.

''Can you, er, lay down or something?'' I tried. The animal kept staring at me.

''Sit!'' I shouted in what I hoped was an authoritative voice. Still nothing.

''Down, boy!'' Have you ever noticed how naïve and clueless horses look?

''Come on, your master needs you,'' I begged, pointing at the motionless figure on the ground. ''So sit your ass down so we can be on our way.'' It was pointedly ignoring me. I sighed. This was hopeless. I tried pulling the reins down, hoping that the horse would follow, but the big brute only shook his head at me and went back to grazing. _Fine_ , I thought, _have it your way._ I went to the man and tried to get him standing, but every time I managed to get him into half standing position, it became too much and we both collapsed on the ground. During my efforts, I also noticed that he had a small bag in his hand, so I shoved it in my pocket and sighed. I needed a chair or something. This was frustrating.

''I need a chair,'' I said to the animal. I didn't know what I thought telling the horse would accomplish, but what happened surprised me more than anything. It looked at me, as if it was judging my character, and then slowly got down on its knees. I stood there with an open mouth, completely dumbfounded. And they say women are difficult to understand. I snapped out of my daze and quickly trotted to the man. I didn't want the stupid animal to change its mind and get up before I had the man on it. I have no idea how I managed to haul him up there in the end, but I did. I guess it was an adrenaline or something.

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About 20 minutes later, I was in a cave, bruised and tired. Having a grown man fall on top of you from a horse was not a pleasant experience. I found some king of rolled up mat on the horse, so I spread it out on the ground together with my coat in an attempt to make him comfortable. Now what? I thought that the most important thing was to stop the bleeding somehow. But I didn't have any gauze or dressing or even a clean cloth! I ran to the horse standing by the entrance of the cave and started rummaging through the saddlebags. After sorting through several small bags full of something that felt like herbs, some papers, -or more like parchments- a weird looking stone and an iron cooking pot, I finally found what appeared to be a spare tunic. When I walked around the horse to the second saddle bag, I also saw a sword in a scabbard. Wow, what a weirdo. The dagger was one thing, but a bloody sword? I shook my head and headed back to my 'patient'.

He looked bad. His skin was pale and sweat was starting to form on his forehead. I took his dagger and clumsily cut the spare tunic into stripes. It was messy, but would hopefully serve its purpose. I cut his sleeve off as well. I needed a better access. I carefully pulled it off his arm and hand. I didn't usually mind seeing blood, but I was sure that what was in front of me would make even an experienced doctor go green. There were three deep gashes, so deep that I could see muscle beneath the layer of skin. The edges of the wounds were little bit jagged so the skin around it was more damaged than I thought it would be. I went back to the horse because I wanted to clean the injury a bit, and there were two big sacks of water tied to the saddle. I took one, and the cooking pot as well and went back to the guy, trying to calm my queasy stomach. I didn't have time to be sick.

I kneeled next to him and poured some water into the pot. I watered one strip of the tunic and wrung it out above his arm. The water cleaned some of the blood so I repeated the process until the wounds were acceptably clean. Then I took two strips and pressed them onto his arm. Suddenly I didn't know what to do with myself. I was always moving and doing something from the moment I found him, so sitting and doing practically nothing now felt strange. It was as if the world around me slowed down. This was utterly ridiculous. How did my life get so screwed up so fast? I was just going home from university. Then a rat happened and BAM! Now I was in a stupid cave, taking care of a random loony who was attacked by a bear or something and my only companion was a stubborn horse. Life was just peachy.

I was staring at the cave wall, so absorbed in my self-pity that I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard a faint groan. I looked down and saw that the man's face was contorted with pain. His eyes fluttered open and I watched in fascination as emotions flashed through them. Pain, confusion, suspicion, but no sign of fear. His hand suddenly went to his belt where his dagger was before I took it. His eyes landed on me and widened slightly. I just dumbly stared at him while still somehow pressing the cloth to his injured arm.

''Hûn kê ne?'' He growled. ''Xencera min li ku ye?''

… _Shit._

Thank you for reading! :)

A/N: Thank you for the review and follow, Xinamon. It's very appreciated.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

 _I was staring at the cave wall, so absorbed in my self-pity that I almost jumped out of my skin when I heard a faint groan. I looked down and saw that the man's face was contorted with pain. His eyes fluttered open and I watched in fascination as emotions flashed through them. Pain, confusion, suspicion, but no sign of fear. His hand suddenly went to his belt where his dagger was before I took it. His eyes landed on me and widened slightly. I just dumbly stared at him while still somehow pressing the cloth to his injured arm._

 _''Hûn kê ne?'' He growled. ''Xencera min li ku ye?''_

… _Shit._

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I withdrew my hands and frowned. Well, this was great. Just my luck that the first bloke I meet doesn't even speak English. It wasn't enough that I had been hit by a car and transported into wilderness without any idea what was going on or where exactly I was. I had to sleep in a cave and make fire and pee behind a bush. And now that I've finally met someone and that someone has awoken (thank _god_ ), I find out that I can't understand him. I should have seen this coming. Not having to deal with a language barrier would be making it too easy for me, right? It's not like I was looking forward to some human contact because it would help me feel sane, like I was not going crazy. In a corner of my mind, I was kind of hoping that meeting a person would solve everything. That they would smile at me, tell me that everything was okay, snap their fingers and send me back to my flat to Muffin. Instead, I found a medieval looking, injured guy with a horse. And now this.

I tried to pull myself together and not have a mental break down right there, in front of him. This was not helping and I had to focus. It was not the end of the world. I could have been dead or something. _Oh, wait..._ I forcefully stopped myself from continuing that line of thought. This was no time for useless questions. The man was still injured and obviously unhappy. During my silent ranting, I could see his dark eyes darting from my face to my clothes and our surroundings, the frown on his face deepening. He looked positively unfriendly, and I was suddenly glad that he was apparently not at his full strength. He tried to get up but only got into a sitting position before collapsing back onto my coat. I guess he was weak from blood loss. Okay, moment of truth.

''You shouldn't get up,'' I told him sternly. He may be a complete stranger and a weirdo but I still felt kind of responsible for him. He looked at me incomprehensibly and I felt the rest of my hope leave me.

''Do you understand English?'' I stupidly tried again. No response.

''Parlez-vous français?'' This was followed by another blank look.

''¿Hablas español?'' Nothing. I didn't know any more languages. I knew how to sign a few insults, so I tried that but he was still frowning at me. He seemed to do that a lot.

''Hûn kê ne?'' He said again and narrowed his eyes. ''Çima hûn alîkarîya min bi?''

I didn't like his suspicious tone.

''Sorry mate, but I have no clue what you're saying.'' It looked like my mildly apologetic tone calmed him a little. He repeated the first sentence, but this time he pointed at me and raised eyebrows, so I was pretty sure he was asking me who I was. I didn't miss his wince when he gestured with his injured arm.

''My name is Maya.'' I said, putting a hand to my chest. ''Maya.'' I repeated slowly, just in case. I considered lying, but quickly dismissed the idea. I had no reason not to tell him my name.

''What's your name?'' I asked in return. When he confusedly shrugged his shoulders, I pointed at my chest, said my name and then pointed at him, making a quizzical face. He considered me for a moment, and I felt like I was being judged. I frowned. Not telling me his name now would be really rude, especially since I helped him. Kind of. I did the best I could, okay? After few more tense seconds came his reluctant voice.

''Ez Rizgan im.''

My attempt at pronouncing his name caused one corner of his mouth to lift a little. I felt like he was laughing at me, but the almost-smile made him look less hostile so I didn't really care.

''Well, Rizgan, you shouldn't move that arm too much. I'm not an expert, but it looks like something tried to eat you.'' I tried to sound cheerful. He just raised one eyebrow and I shook my head. I didn't want to embarrass myself by trying to act out a scene of him getting attacked by a wild beast. Instead, I went to my backpack and retrieved two energy bars, leaving the last one there, and a bottle of apple Lucozade. I wasn't overly worried about water, because we had two full sacks. Well, at least Rizgan did. However, I was famished and I was willing to bet my last energy bar that he wasn't stuffed either. I wasn't exactly eager to share my food, but my conscience wouldn't let me eat without giving something to him. Besides, he was injured. He probably needed it more than me. But I wasn't that generous.

Medieval dude was eyeing me with a guarded curiosity from his lying position as I approached him again with my hands full. I sat down next to him and offered him one bar. He looked at it with an extreme distrust written all over his face, as if it was going to bite him the second he touched it. I sighed, but I was secretly amused. He acted like he'd never seen one before. Although, looking at his clothes, I had to admit that he did kind of look like a guy who only ate berries and wild mushrooms and meat from animals that he caught himself. I really wanted to start thinking about it and analysing it but then I remembered my rule of asking no necessary questions unless I wanted to go crazy, so stopped. I just wordlessly opened the bar and put it next to him. I wasn't going to force him to eat it. He could starve to death for all I cared.

As I sat there and chewed my first, and probably also the last, meal of the day, I could see that he cautiously took it, sniffed it and then carefully took a small bite. I watched as his eyes widened at the taste. Maybe he didn't like chocolate? I sincerely hoped that he wasn't allergic to nuts or lactose. A bizarre image of Rizgan choking on a peanut with a swollen face and rash all over his body flashed through my mind. Before I had a chance to become worried with more disturbing images that my mind could so kindly provide, I noticed that he was already half way through the bar and showed no signs of slowing down or stopping. One more big bite and it was gone. _Yeah_ , I thought, _chocolate does that to people._ I had to bite my lip to stop myself from laughing.

When I was finished and my stomach temporarily satisfied, I opened the bottle and took a sip. I didn't want him to think that I poisoned it or something. Also, from what I could tell and smell, he didn't have exactly ideal sense of hygiene. I didn't want to guess when was the last time he brushed his teeth. I drank half of its content and offered him the rest. He raised his left hand to take the drink but as soon as he moved it, a quiet hiss of pain escaped his lips. I guessed he forgot about his injury.

''Don't move that arm, you twit.'' I said and frowned. He frowned right back at me and barked something in his language, wildly gesturing with his wounded arm. I think he didn't like my tone. Well, too bad, because I didn't like his either.

''Don't give me that look. I dragged you here on your horse and helped you. I gave you food and drink. And you can bet your arse that I didn't do it all just so I can now watch you wave your arm around like an idiot and hurt yourself even more.'' I wished I was standing so that I could take up a proper scolding pose and look down at him. Instead, I was awkwardly sitting next to him while attempting to appear threatening. And he couldn't even understand me. At least he looked a bit surprised by my rant. Definitely not intimidated, but girl can't have everything.

When he did nothing but stare at me for the next minute, I sighed. I also became quite self-conscious and wiggled uncomfortably. He had a dark, piercing gaze and I had to remind myself that it was impossible for someone to see one's soul.

''Can I look at it?'' I asked in order to distract him, pointing at his arm. He nodded in consent so I crept closer to him and carefully lifted the piece of ripped tunic from the injury. I didn't even know what I wanted to look at, but the moment my eyes landed on it, I thought that something was wrong. It wasn't bleeding anymore, but the skin around the scratches was red and swollen. It didn't look good. I gently placed the back of my hand on his arm and frowned when I felt how warm it was. I hoped it didn't mean what I thought it meant. I had no idea how to treat an infection. Didn't people die from it? I looked at Rizgan worriedly and tried to think clearly, purposefully ignoring the panic rising in me. Hospitals were everywhere in the world, right? Even if he lived in a really remote area, he had to be in contact with some form of civilisation. But we were in a cave now! A voice interrupted my inner monologue.

''Maya, ku pincarê min in?'' He pronounced my name funnily, but I had no desire to laugh, because I noticed his faintly flushed cheeks and glistening forehead.

''I don't understand you,'' I said with almost a desperation in my voice.

He opened his left palm and drew an imaginary circle on it with his finger. Then he closed it and threw his hands out, shrugging his shoulders-the gesture people make when saying 'I don't know'.

''Pincarê?'' He said again.

I had no idea what he was on about for a second, but then I remembered that he had something in hand when I found him. I reached into my coat's pocket and pulled it out.

''You mean this?''

''Belê, ev tistê ku min divê.'' I could tell from his satisfied tone that this was what he wanted.

''Pinca-ree?''

He almost smiled at this, but it was strained. He looked like he was in pain. I mentally smacked myself. _Of course he's in pain, idiot. Something almost tore his arm off._

Rizgan handed me the small bag and murmured something, pointing first at the bag and then at his injured arm. Oh. Was I supposed to put it on his arm? I opened the sack and a strange smell hit me. I could recognise a hint of thyme, maybe cinnamon, and-was that garlic? It wasn't exactly unpleasant, but it was too much for my poor nose to take, as if someone mixed every scented herb that ever existed and shoved it in there. The finished product was a bit overwhelming for the senses. I would definitely prefer if he pulled out some good, old antibiotics, but that was probably too much to ask. If he wanted me to put this stuff on his own injured arm, then who was I to question it?

I grabbed a notebook from my backpack, thinking that the hard paper was a much better work-space then the ground. I poured some of the herb mixture on it and then mixed it with water as best as I could. I ended up with a thick paste that I applied generously to Rizgan's injury. His face contorted in pain, but he made no sound. Small bits kept falling off, so I wrapped the arm with one of my home-made bandages. Satisfied, I sat back to admire my handiwork, but my thoughts quickly strayed elsewhere. Like my current location.

''So,'' I started casually.''Is this England?'' I pointed at the ground where I was sitting.

Rizgan looked at me tiredly.

''We are still in Europe, right?'' I tried not to sound panicked.

I was rewarded with a blank look.

''Or is this America?'' Nothing.

''Africa?'' Nope.

''Asia?'' I was getting frustrated.

''Australia? India? New Zealand?'' My voice was rising with every word, but he still had that annoying, dumb look on his face.

''Canada? Iceland? Greenland?'' I knew I was getting ridiculous, but I was really angry now. He was acting as if he had never heard of any of these places.

''Antarctica? South America? Madagascar? Bloody Papua New Guinea?!''

He looked slightly concerned, like I was the crazy one. Well, I certainly felt like it.

''Please tell me I'm not in Narnia.'' A glance at his worried face made me giggled hysterically.

He definitely looked disturbed now. I thought that if he could move, he would cautiously inch away from me. I didn't really blame him.

I made a noise, something between a sigh and a growl, and sprawled next to him across the cave floor. I could feel his eyes on me as I stared at the cave ceiling and contemplated my life. I felt miserable, now that the anger and frustration left me. He couldn't possibly be that stupid and not know the names of continents. There was a chance that he was just taking the piss, but his face was honestly clueless when I was shouting at him. I sighed deeply. My life was such a mess. Wait... I turned my head to look at Rizgan.

''This isn't heaven, is it? Or hell?'' I added, just in case. He looked a bit more at ease now that I've calmed down.

''So it's not likely that you will start sprouting wings or horns the moment I turn around?'' I joked and smirked at him. He just coolly raised one eyebrow. Oh, well. It was clear that my humour was not appreciated here. What was I expecting, really?

I went back to staring at the ceiling, counting the creaks in it and the cave walls. I knew that I should have been doing something more productive, but I didn't feel like it. I was on the brink of throwing myself a pity party again. The positive part of my brain was apparently on a vacation. I kept trying to avoid thinking about the future and focus only on the present, but that was bloody hard when you had no idea what to do next. Should I leave Rizgan here and go somewhere, try to find other people? My conscience wouldn't let me do that. He looked like he would survive, but he was still injured and could barely move. No, I couldn't just leave him here, at least not right now. Besides, I had no idea where I was and something was telling me that I had better chance of surviving if I stuck with him. He had to know his way around if he was here only with a horse.

That reminded me that I should probably go check on the it. Maybe give it some water too, I thought a bit guiltily. I felt better when I had something to do. I jumped on my feet and gave Rizgan a smile, which made him frown at me. Seriously, did this guy have any other facial expressions? I shook my head at him, poured some fresh water into the pot and went outside.

The horse was standing a few metres away from the cave entrance. When I was right in front of it, I held the pot out and waited. The animal approached me cautiously and sniffed at the water. I snorted when it gave me a suspicious look. How is it possible that a horse can look suspicious?

''You strongly remind me of your owner.'' I murmured under my breath as the beast drank.

My eyes darted to the saddle. _Shouldn't I remove it or something? Isn't it uncomfortable?_ But I had no idea how. I've ridden horse only twice in my life, and it was all ready to go both times-I didn't have to take care of it or learn how to saddle it. Oh, well. It will live.

I nearly jumped out of my skin when the horse abruptly raised its head and almost hit me in the face. Its ears flicked back and forth and he neighed.

I looked around nervously, but didn't see anything.

''Be quiet, will you?'' I snapped at the animal. ''I don't fancy being attacked by a random wild beast you will attract with your stupid horse noises.''

I didn't want to be mean, especially since it wasn't the beast's fault that I was in a bad mood, but having a break down wasn't an option right now, and I had to vent it somehow. Before I had a chance to embarrass myself by apologising to a horse, I heard something. I froze when I realised it was people speaking. It was very faint, but I could still hear it. I spun frantically around, eyes wide, but there wasn't a a living soul as far as I could see. I didn't know why I was scared, it could be just an innocent person taking a walk. However, the rational part of my brain wasn't enough to stop my palms from sweating and heart from beating way faster then it should. There was a sound of quick footsteps on my left and I only had time to register a man running towards me with a sword in hand. Then there was nothing but a blinding pain in my head and darkness.

A/N: Thank you for following this story and reviewing :) I really appreciate it.


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